Prince Harry's Canada Security Bill Was Far Higher Than King Charles ― And Taxpayers Won't Be Pleased
The Sussexes' security cost shot up approximately 10% of the $5.2 million allocated for more than 100 internationally protected persons in Canada.
Prince Harry has made constant demands about his security to be assessed and improved even after stepping down from royal duties in 2020. Meanwhile, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police records paint a different picture of the Duke and his safety protocols that were followed while he was dating Meghan Markle. The figures indicate that Canadian taxpayers spent a staggering amount on Prince Harry's protection during his visits over five years, which surpassed even King Charles and Queen Camilla's 2017 visit to Ontario and Quebec.
According to financial records obtained by CBC News, Canadian taxpayers spent approximately $539,575 to secure Prince Harry during his visits to Canada from 2014/15 to 2019/20, making him the most expensive internationally protected individual during that period. This figure surpasses the $334,337 previously disclosed by the RCMP in 2021. These expenses were incurred while the Duke attended events related to the Invictus Games and visited Markle. The records were allowed to be made public after the publication won a six-year freedom of information battle for financial records initially requested in January 2020, released only this week due to intervention by Canada's Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard. The release highlighted that the Sussexes' security cost constituted approximately 10% of the over $5.2 million allocated for the protection of more than 100 internationally protected persons in Canada.
Harry's annual security costs peaked at approximately $261,187.04 (£193,723) in the 2017-18 financial year when his proposal to Markle went official. The previous year, costs were recorded at $75,799.96 (£56,221) as their courtship began. The RCMP linked most of the five-year total to Prince Harry, who made numerous covert trips to Toronto from 2016, often staying at the former Suits actress' residence. "We had a good five, six months almost with just privacy, which was amazing," Markle had stated at the time. The document also highlighted that during a 2017 visit to Ontario and Quebec, the security costs for King Charles amounted to approximately $127,893.65 (£94,859), which was less than half of the Duke's peak year expenses. Additionally, figures also reveal $7,606 (£5,642) spent on the Duchess of Sussex for the 2018-19 financial year, linked to a private trip to Toronto in August 2018 to see her friend Jessica Mulroney, marking her only visit to Canada during that time, GB News reported.
Simon Morgan, a former U.K. Metropolitan Police officer and founder of the Trojan Consultancy, highlighted the importance of taxpayer-funded protection for internationally protected persons, a system established by the UN. He emphasized that such protection is linked to one's role and cannot be purchased, regardless of wealth. Morgan suggested that Canadian authorities provided robust security measures for Prince Harry because he was still actively involved with the Royal Family during the discussed period. "He was the Queen's grandson. He was the future King's son," Morgan concluded.
